there are lessons every weekend and the they are open until january 20th. >> you have to go. >> then i can borrow your ugly sweater. >> lester holt is next. breaking tonight, the terrifying hijacking scare. the urgent alert aboard a plane just before takeoff the massive police response passengers and crew evacuated. chaos in the terminal. but amid the panic, the airline admitting it was a false alarm tonight, the mistake they say triggered it. an arrest after an ambush that killed nine members of an american if my family in mexico what we've now learned about the attack the urgent search for a 5-year-old girl. the family discovering her missing from her room, the back door

unlocked >> she's obviously in danger at 5 years old we know it's very urgent we find her as quickly as possible >> police asking for the public's help tonight. explosive testimony revealed the u.s. ambassador to ukraine implicating president trump in a quid pro quo with ukraine. and when public hearings will begin. the bitter arctic blast about to sweep the country. up to six inches of know coming. al rocker is tracking it don't wait for black friday some of the biggest holiday deals start tonight. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt good evening the world held its breath for hours late today after word of a possible airplane hijack drama unfolding in amsterdam a signal mistakenly transmitted from the cockpit of a madrid bound airplane triggered a full on military and police response and reminded us all that when it comes to aviation security, there is no taking chances

kelly cobiella starts us off >> reporter: at one of the busiest airports in the world tonight, a major security scare. planes stranded at gates after dutch police got a hijacking alert from the cockpit of a plane that hadn't taken off. flights delayed, parts of the airport closed. nearly two hours later it was over. the airline, air europa, explaining on twitter the alert was activated by mistake nothing has happened all passengers are safe and sound 50 million travelers fly through amsterdam's schiphol airport every year last new year's eve passengers were evacuated after a man claimed to have a bomb police arrested a 51-year-old canadian but found no explosives tonight dutch military police tell us they're still investigating what sparked today's hijacking alarm. lester >> kelly cobiella with those anxious moments, thank you. a possible suspect is in custody tonight in that massacre in

mexico where nine americans were killed including six children and their mothers. were the families tag targeted by a drug cartel here's miguel almaguer >> reporter: police investigate the massacre that left three american mothers and their six children dead after a savage shooting with 200 rounds fired >> this is devastating. >> i keep thinking i'm going to wake up >> reporter: today investigators announced the arrest of one man who may be connected. the mexican president saying the u.s. can help in the investigation. military officials adding, the ambush may have been a case of mistaken identity between rival cartels. the five siblings who escaped the bloodshed are recovering in tucson the youngest victim, 8-month-old brixten, was shot in the chest. kylie was shot in the foot 13-year-old devin

walked 14 miles to get help >> he hid the rest of his siblings in bushes, covered them in branches to hide while he went for help >> reporter: shock has now spread across the mexican compound where the families lived, descendants of mormons who settled here decades ago. >> they'll stop and surround our vehicle, then they'll see who it is and they recognize who we are because they keep an eye on every single person >> reporter: tonight, few answers after the massacre in mexico a shocking crime even in a country plagued with violence. miguel almaguer, nbc news, tucson there is an urgent search for a missing 5-year-old girl in florida under way tonight. police issuing an amber alert after the family discovered her missing from her room. here is nbc's steve patterson. >> reporter: tonight a frantic search in jacksonville for a little girl who vanished from her bed. an amber alert spurring hundreds to search for 5-year-old taylor williams. police going door to

door, knocking on hundreds of homes, still no sign of the little girl. >> she's obviously in danger and at 5 years old we know it's very urgent that we find her as quickly as possible. >> reporter: an adult in the home telling police she was last seen around midnight with the back door of the home unlocked. >> our hoifofficers are going door to door on foot we have homicide detectives, missing persons detectives, we're doing everything to locate taylor >> reporter: she's three feet tall, weighing 50 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair, last seen wearing purple and pink panelijamas. tonight police pleading with the public, no tip is too small as crucial moments in the search for taylor tick by steve patterson, nbc news also developing, house democrats announcing the first public hearings in their impeachment inquiry. the first witness will be the acting u.s. ambassador to ukraine

whose private testimony was released today. kristen welker has more >> reporter: tonight, revelations. another top diplomat testified there was what amounted to a quid pro quo, withholding military aid to ukraine unless ukraine investigated the bidens special envoy to ukraine bill taylor telling lawmakers he had a clear understanding security assistance money would not come until the president of ukraine committed to pursue an investigation into joe biden's son hunter who had business dealings in ukraine, although taylor acknowledged he never spoke directly to president trump taylor also expressed concerns there was an irregular informal channel of policy making in ukraine which included the president's personal attorney rudy giuliani it comes as house democrats announced their first public hearings taylor will testify next week, along with state department official george kent and the ousted u.s. ambassador to ukraine, marie yovanovitch. >> we are getting an increasing appreciation for just

what took place, and the degree to which the president enlisted whole departments of government in the elicit aim of trying to get ukraine to dig up dirt on a political opponent >> reporter: republicans downplaying the disclosures, noting taylor testified ukrainian officials did not know the military aid was being withheld until weeks after that july call between president trump and ukraine's leader >> the fact that the ukrainians didn't know aid had been withhold and did nothing to get it released when it was released those are the fundamental facts. >> reporter: also tonight republicans taking aim at the whistle-blower who first raised alarms about that call. donald trump jr. retweeting a report with a possible name senator rand paul calling for the whistle-blower to be out the. >> if someone is going to accuse you of something that might remove the president from office, for goodness' sakes, shouldn't they come forward in person? >> whistle-blowers are entitled to their

confidential >> and kristen, news about former attorney general jeff sessions. >> reporter: jeff sessions is expected to announce he'll run for his own alabama senate seat, despite knowing that president trump could campaign against him. the president recently said naming sessions attorney general was, quote, the biggest mistake of his presidency, lester >> kristen welker, thanks also in washington, opening statements in the trial of roger stone the former trump adviser is charged with lying to congress, trying to conceal his alleged effort to gain insights about democrats' hacked emails in 2016 stone's lawyers say he never intended to mislead congress steve banbannon, the president's former chief strategist, will be a prosecution witness. a winter blast will bring bitter cold and threats of snow in some places. al roqker is tracking it al >> lester, windchills will be 10 to 25 degrees. friday, temperatures again well below

normal with windchills 20 to 25 and moving into saturday morning, more of the same with even more brutally cold temperatures in the northeast. a storm system is making its way to the great lakes. down to the so you guth, heavy snow moving into the interior northeast and new england with snow from four to eight inches from the great lakes into the northeast. there's more on the way early next week, lester >> all right, al, thanks authorities in milwaukee has had charges filed against him in the case of a man who through acid in a racist attack >> i have a right to be here. hate needs to stop >> reporter: today prosecutors in milwaukee charged 61-year-old clifton blackwell with a hate crime. he now could face an enhanced sentence, up to 35 years in prison if convicted of the original charge of first degree reckless

injury mahud villalaz suffered second degree burns. >> he was talking to me, really angry, go back to your country, you come invade my country. >> reporter: villalaz immigrated from peru he says blackwell accused him of being in the country illegally. >> he is an american citizen and he was attacked brutally, b barbarba b bar barbarically >> reporter: blackwell is being held on $20,000 bail gabe gutierrez, nbc news late developments involving those two murder suspects who made a daring escape from a california jail they've now been recaptured police say they fled to tijuana, mexico, but were arrested trying to reenter the u.s. at a pedestrian checkpoint, literally walking back into custody. a major announcement tonight from airbnb, the world's biggest online

marketplace for private home rentals, cracking down on scammers and fraudulent listings. tom costello has the big changes. >> reporter: across globe 2 billion people stay in airbnb rentals every night. a recent vice news investigation uncovered a pattern of alleged deception and fraud, of customers booking rentals only to discover the actually property was nothing like the yoe online photos, run down, dirty, even abandoned. >> reporter: there were holes punched in the wall, door handles hanging off, no kitchen wear, anything else >> reporter: the owners nowhere to be found. today airbnb announced major changes, pledging to verify 7 million properties and owners over the next year >> we're going to make sure we can stand behind every single listing, every single host, to make sure every single listing is accurate, the

information is accurate, the photo are what they say they are. >> reporter: and a new money back guarantee if your rental isn't as tuesdadvertised just last week five people were killed at a party at an airbnb in florida airbnb says it's adding a 24 hour neighbor hotline for emergencies and promising to review any guest reservation that looks high risk lester >> tom, thanks there is a growing movement to stop the execution of a doting row inmate in texas scheduled to die in two weeks for a crime he says he didn't commit the effort getting a boost from some famous names. nbc's ron allen went inside the prison to speak to him face-to-face >> reporter: on death row, nearly 22 years, rodney reed just days away from execution. >> i'm innocent of this case. absolutely innocent. >> reporter: reed's case now attracting attention from a growing list of celebrities and over a million people have signed an online petition to stop his execution.

reed now 51, was convicted of raping and killing 19-year-old stacey stites in a small texas town in 1996 reed's semen was found inside her body. you told the police you didn't know her. >> that was the worst mistake i ever could have made. and i did not want to be incriminated in relation to her death. >> reporter: stites one of the victims reed allegedly attacked, according to prosecutors. this man, then stites' fiance, is the real killer, reed's attorneys say. >> the evidence points in that direction. >> reporter: the evidence points at you. >> that was created from the state's narrative of this whole situation. >> reporter: reed's lawyers point to developments sincecies 1998 convictions, witnesses who say he made threatening statements about the affair and a former prison

inmate says finnel bragged about killing stites >> it's just plain ludicrous to buy into this rodney reed circus >> reporter: finnel's attorney denies reed's allegations. >> he's got great lawyers, very creative they keep coming up with witnesses out of the woodwork the texas attorney general's office says after reviews by more than 20 justices, it's time to see justice is done at last >> i'm optimistic that something good has got to happen. >> reporter: with 14 days left reed has appeals pending all the way up to the u.s. supreme court. ron allen, nbc news, livings ton, texas with another debate coming up next month we're asking what's important to democratic voters. harry smith is taking their questions to the candidates tonight senator amy klobuchar in our series what matters. >> how many union members, former union members? five, six, seven

>> reporter: at our roundtable with democratic primary voters >> i couldn't get into a union. i couldn't get health care >> reporter: a clear desire for the return of union strength. >> just take a look at this what are we going to do to make unions stronger in this country? because they need to be stronger. when the unions were strong, the middle class was strong >> what goes through your mind? >> that they're right, that they get it >> reporter: we talked with senator amy klobuchar at home. to her, unions are a family matter. >> i literally am here as the granddaughter of a union member, an iron ore miner, the daughter of a newspaper man and a union member >> reporter: how americans view unions has changed dramatically in the last ten years nearly two-thirds of adults in the u.s. now view unions favorably. >> we have things that have gone awry it is no surprise at all that you're going to see an increase in union organizing and an increase in interest in popularity of unions.

>> reporter: but union member is at a decades low, 10% of the u.s. workforce. to effect change, the senator wants to reverse trump administration rules on overtime pay, and appoint more labor friendly judges. >> when there were changes in our country like during the gilded age and people weren't treated well, that's when unions came up, that's when unions organized. that's what this is really about >> reporter: perhaps, as another minnesotan wrote, for unions, at least, the times they are a-changin'. harry smith, nbc news. the price you pay. big savings on your holiday shopping starting at midnight

>> reporter: perhaps, back now with two big stores, ellen degeneres and sandra bullock teaming up and fighting back against scammers here's gadi schwartz

>> reporter: tonight some of hollywood's biggest stars taking on scammers using the names of celebrities to sell things like makeup online, in and out targets of a new lawsuit filed by sandra bullock and ellen degeneres for the unauthorized use of their names and likenesses but the problem is scammers online change company names so quickly it's not even clear who they are named in the current lawsuit as john does through 100. it's the kind of scheme that's plagued the internet for years. even nbc's own savannah guthrie used in a fake ad claiming she was leaving the "today" show to start a skincare line. we found dead end after dead end >> we're trying to figure out why there are fake advertisements selling your product under the names of several recognizable celebrities. so you're a customer service agent and you're not in a position to answer that because you're not aware of that. >> reporter: now degeneres and bullock

are hoping for better luck as they take their fight to court if you see an ad featuring your favorite celebrity, experts say do some research to make sure it's legit if you fall victim, report it to the better business bureau, lester >> gadi, says. next, how you can save big on holiday shopping starting tonight.

in tonight's "price you pay," a new shopping holiday retailers hope will rival back friday, and it begins tonight. here is nbc's vicky nguyen >> reporter: a consumer website, retailmenot, is jump-starting the shopping season at midnight with 20% cash back from hundreds of major retailers. here's how it works. first you have to create an account with retailmenot. starting as midnight, this is where hundreds of retailers will show up with their deals. click on the deal you're interested in, click on the activate

and shop tab, it will redirect you to the retailer you want and you can start shopping the deals vary from store to for and remember, they're online only. you'll see your cash back in 45 days. click redeem reward. you can get it from ven venmo, paypal, or a gift card. >> you'll find a category on that particular store on cashback today >> reporter: skurconsumer are expected to spend $730 billion this season sales and discounts are the number one reason shoppers say they choose a particular retailer. if you missed cashback today, other sites also offer cash back year-round, all boding well for consumers, helping them save money while they spend it vicky nguyen, nbc news, new york up next for us, the incredible shot with an even more amazing prize. >> announcer: "nbc nightly news" is brought to you by pacific life a reliable income that

lets you retire without retiring from life that's the power of pacific.

san jose writes a check for $93 million. why it plans to do nothing with the land it bought. also, a new tactic for uber and lyft drivers demanding higher pay. the reason this protest is meant for just one person. the mucinex. finally, the oklahoma student who scored ig, very big at last night's game here is blayne alexander. >> reporter: call it one heck of a hail mary halftime at last night's season opener for the university of oklahoma basketball team freshman cale montis was plucked from the crowd to try his hand at a half court shot and he delivered but wait 'til you hear what he won. free college tuition for an entire year a half court heave worth thousands of dollars.

turns out cale does know a thing or two about basketball he played on his high school team. but maybe happier are cale's parents, keeping extra money in their pockets thanks to a very lucky shot blayne alexander, nbc news >> awesome shot. congratulations to right now at 6:00, building more housing or preserving the land? the result of a decades' long fight in san jose. plus spice working for twitter. the charges linking silicon valley to saudi arabia. but first, forcing facebook to talk. the move california's attorney general is now making and how facebook is responding this evening. the news at 6:00 starts right now. good evening and thanks for being with us. i'm raj mathai. >> and i'm jessica aguirre.

it says the company is holding back information it needs to investigate how the company is using your data. facebook doesn't like it and is striking back. scott budman picks up the story from there. >> you don't appreciate the future impact of what your work is. >> reporter: shortly after the cambridge analytica scandal broke and we learned facebook had allowed an outside company to access our private data, the state of california launched an investigation. fast forward 18 months and state attorney general xavier becerra says facebook has not been cooperating. >> facebook knows some of the most intimate details of our lives. >> reporter: claiming the social network has ignored multiple requests for information pertaining to the investigation. so becerra is taking facebook to court. >> we are left with little choice but to seek a court order compelling facebook to faithfully comply with our